Board Report #02-14

Wisconsin State Student Financial Aid Data For 2000-01

The series of exhibits in this Board Report present 2000-01 academic year need based and non-need
based student financial aid information for Wisconsin resident undergraduates. The colleges and
universities within the four different Wisconsin Higher Education Sectors provided the majority of
the information reflected in these exhibits. The four sectors of colleges and universities include
the Independent Colleges and Universities, the Tribal Colleges, the University of Wisconsin System,
and the Wisconsin Technical College System. This is the first year that the Tribal Colleges have
been reported as a separate sector. Prior to this, Tribal Colleges were included in the Independent
Colleges and Universities Sector. The first grouping of exhibits reflects all students from all
sectors who receive need based assistance. The second, third, fourth and fifth groupings show the
same information as the first except that each is specific to a sector of schools. The last two
groupings incorporate the non-need based assistance received by students who also receive need based
assistance.

These exhibits show the number of student financial aid recipients, total cost of education,
total expected family contribution, total aid received by type and source along with total unmet
need. The total dollars of expected family contribution rose slightly (1.1%) from the prior year, as
did the cost of education (3%). Total need-based financial aid increased by 3.8%, following an
increase of 2.4% last year. The total number of awards increased 3.9% in 2000-01. The average award
stayed constant, $1915 in 2000-01 compared to $1918 on 1999-00. While the percentage increase in
need-based financial aid was 3.8%, total unmet need still increased by 4.5% in 2000-01 compared to
1999-00. This increase in unmet need was due to the cost of education rising at a rate faster than
the expected family contribution and while the dollars of need based aid increased by over $16
million it did not keep pace with the increase in financial need. This is the third year that the
WISSIS data has been collected using a re-definition of need-based and non-need-based aid. Beginning
with the 1998-99 report, most Institutional, Private and Other Assistance were excluded from the
need-based informational sections and are now included in the non-need based informational sections.
This change was implemented to better understand the sources of support that financed the total cost
of education. Additional clarification was done in defining need-based vs. non-need-based financial
aid on the 1999-00 WISSIS data collection tool. Need-based loans continued to be the primary type of
assistance students relied on in 2000-01, accounting for 44.6% of all need-based aid. This
percentage is a decline over 1999-00 and may directly relate to an increase in grants awarded.
However, we continue to point out, that the use of non-need-based loans is increasing and overall
loan debt continues to rise. In addition, there are sources of student debt (i.e. credit cards) that
are not tracked by HEAB. In terms of need based aid sources, state funded assistance increased
dramatically (25.7%) while federally funded aid essentially remained the constant ($316 million in
2000-01 compared to $319 million in 1999-00). The increase in state funding was primarily due to the
late passage of the budget in 1999-00. This caused the carry forward of funds in most programs, in
particular the Wisconsin Higher Education Grant and the Wisconsin Tuition Grant. The primary source
of assistance in 2000-01 was, as it has been in the past, federally funded aid.

The Independent College and University data for 2000-01 in some areas reflects the same trends
when compared to the previous year. The number of awards increased by 5.1%. The cost of education
increased by 5%. The expected family contribution increased by 10%. The total amount of need based
aid increased by 5.9%. However, in contrast to last year, unmet need decreased by 5.4%. This is
explained by the increase in the cost of education and the fact that the increase in expected family
contribution was double the increase in the cost of education. In addition, there was the increase
in the number of awards and the amount of need based aid available. The primary type of assistance
continues to come in the form of grant assistance for students attending Independent Colleges and
Universities. The majority of assistance is funded by the federal government, but to a much lesser
extent compared to all sectors combined.

As mentioned in the introduction, this is the first time that the Tribal Colleges have been
separated as an individual sector. This is due to the creation of the WHEG for Tribal Colleges.
State funded need based aid makes up 36.1% of all need based aid available to Tribal Colleges. This
is two to three times as much as in the other sectors. More will be known in terms of funding trends
at the Tribal Colleges as we gather additional years worth of data.

The average cost of education increased by less than 1% and expected family contribution
decreased by 1.45% for students attending schools within the University of Wisconsin System in
2000-01. The number of awards decreased by less than 1%. Financial need increased by less than 1% in
2000-01 compared to 1999-00. These numbers and percentages show stability in all of the areas
surveyed in relation to the UW System. The overall total of need based aid remained essentially the
same as last year. There was a decrease in the use of federal loans, which may be related to the
increase in state grant aid. The great majority of funds in 2000-01 continued to come from loan
sources and from programs funded by the federal government.

The number of awards increased (8.9%) within the Wisconsin Technical College System, compared to
a decrease last year. The cost of education increased (2.8%) and expected family contribution
decreased (8%). Total need increased (8.4%) and total unmet need increased (15.3%). The increase in
the number of awards is due, in part, to a carryover from the previous year and the increase in
total need and total unmet need. The percentage of grant aid as part of the total increased for the
second year in row. The great majority of aid awarded to students attending Wisconsin Technical
Colleges was federally funded.

This section identifies the non-need-based assistance received by the students reported in the
previous sections of this report. The first page combines all four sectors. The following four pages
show a breakdown by sector. As noted earlier, this is the third year of redefining need-based and
non-need-based aid. It is also the first year of identifying the tribal colleges as an individual
sector. The number of awards increased (20.6%) and the total amount of non-need-based aid awarded
increased by 10.3%. However, the average award decreased by 8.5%.

This section combines both the need based and the non-need based assistance information. How
students finance the total cost of education is provided as is the source and type of need based and
non-need based assistance. The majority of the cost of education is met by assistance that is based
on financial need. Note that the total cost of education met by unknown sources fell from 6.9% in
1999-00 to 6.17% in 2000-01. This is down from 10.95% in 1997-98 and continues to be a trend. The
majority of need based and non-need based assistance combined is funded by federal loan assistance.